She said the therapy comes with an accredited education program that is recognized by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies, and the program certification was established in 1993.

"We're the only program that has that status," Sehnert said. "It is 100 percent compatible with modern medicine."

Sehnert said the therapy is now being seen as a widely used form of complementary and alternative medicine -- which is not intended to replace modern medicine -- and is being offered in more than 40 hospitals in the United States in addition to hospice homes, private practices, clinics and long-term care facilities.

The practice is open to anyone and can help heal the mind, body and spirit. It can be used with other traditional therapies, and Sehnert said it helps physical, emotional and mental instabilities.

In a dim room, four treatment tables are laid out for interested visitors, and "level four" healing touch apprentice Martha Lange asseses CodiAnne Corpening on one side of the room.

Lange says she asks first-time participants questions on their medical history. The interview does not delve too deep, Lange said, but the patient history helps the practitioner decide what techniques to use.

Practitioners use their hands to assess the energy system, and then they can clear and balance it either with no direct contact at all or with a gentle, still touch over various areas of the body. Clients are asked if they can be touched.

"I'm using my energy with the client's energy," Lange said as she placed her hands on Corpening's shoulders.

Corpening had agreed to a "mind-clearing" technique. Lange said once the energy started flowing, she used it to keep going further into the session. The practitioner also benefits as the energy field bounces between client and practitioner, she said.

The entire healing touch session can take 15 minutes to an hour. Practitioners also can visit a person's home.

Lange has had to see a certain number of clients to obtain her level 4 certification. There are five levels, and during certification phases, practitioners work as apprentices.

More than 100,000 people are training to be healing touch practitioners, Sehnert said. This "evidence-based" energy medicine therapy is not always accepted by people, she added, but can benefit even the non-believer.

"Because people don't see it, they don't believe it," she said. "But this is physics, not psychology."

Healing touch removes energy congestion that forms in energy fields and energy centers. The process can trigger seven or more of these auras or chakras during a session, Sehnert said. The practice is sometimes compared to acupuncture. Healing touch works on the the body's energy field, while acupuncture works on meridians or the stimulation of energy flow through body channels.

"It works whether you believe in it or not," Sehnert said.

The therapy can be administered as many times as needed, depending on what is being treated, and if the energy stays in a pattern, it can be moved, Sehnert said.

Clients should check with their health insurance providers about possible coverage on this type of medicine. Sehnert said not a lot of medical policies cover energy therapy, and clients have used their Health Savings Accounts to pay.

Sehnert invites new clients to call her at 856-5409 or 850-6208. Several apprentices are available in Fremont County.